An eternity seems to have slipped by since I last did my last post (ok 6 weeks at least)! The calendar says Spring is with us but I have my reservations, the weather has been an extension of winter with rain, rain and more rain.
Nothing seems to stop the weeds from growing though – that’s a given. I have wandering willy endeavouring to sneak under the radar, onion weed that propagates like crazy, acid loving creeping rotten buttercup and to top off the scenario or should I say ‘tie it up’, there is convolvulus which is alive and well at Frog Pond Farm, guaranteed I’m choked up!
While the weather hasn’t been brilliant, I did manage to plant some Liseta and Maris Anchor spuds into a raised bed, which was lovingly topped up with composted horse poo, coffee grounds and Rok solid fertiliser. The residents have grown like mad and the bed is full of spud greenery. Did I say I’m proud!
I have also finally prepared my summer planting plan, which I’m particularly pleased with. I have allocated beds for
- Salad veg, herbs and general mayhem
- Potatoes – early variety already in the dirt (sharing the space with some salad stuff)
- Perennial beans sown direct and sharing a bed with late variety spuds (once the garlic is removed)
- Chillies and lots of them with some heirloom tomatoes
- Three sisters – corn, beans and cucurbits (with my addition of sunflowers) all planted direct with the exception of the cucumbers
- Red onion seedlings busting to get planted
Calendula
Honey bee enjoying the forget-me-nots
Peach blossom
I think you know by now, that I’m a fan of planting flowers in my veg garden too. I adore the sassy way the flowers mingle in with the veg, like tango dancers, flashing their colour and cheer. These show offs will include, marigolds, zinnias, alyssum, cosmos, cleome, bergamot, salvia and no doubt calendula and nasturtium.
I’ve been productive too, sowing beetroot, a variety of flowers and heritage tomato seeds which are now teenagers and growing in our garage. Pumpkin, cucumber and zucchini are due to be sown any day now. I’ve decided that thanks to the inclement and unsettled weather that I will be planting summer crops later this year … no surprises here.
Living on a lifestyle block obviously isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I must admit, that sometimes I think I’m nuts, given that I enjoy racing around in gumboots, have a tendency to wipe dirty hands on my clothes, or that I can spend hours on the ground ferreting about in the mud removing onion weed.
Whitianga
Maori Bay
The gannets are back
Do you have help in your garden? My brother who lives in Australia spent about five weeks with us – opportune as hubby was away surfing in the Maldives (ok for some 😉 ). Sadly all good things have to end and he has returned to Melbourne taking his green thumb with him. The garden is so quiet, no yesteryear banter, silly jokes or chatter involving weeds and weather. I shall him! Thanks Milt …
Are you wondering about my garlic crop? Let’s just say more hankies are needed the rust is back!
Happy gardening
PS Excuse the jumble of pics .. I done seem to have many!